The choice of 'Touchstones' as the name for the centre, which is undergoing a multi-million pound renovation, has infuriated the Friends of Rochdale Art Gallery.

They claim that the name fails to give people an idea of what is in the centre and may leave visitors not even knowing Rochdale has an art gallery at all.

The name was chosen in a phone-poll of Observer readers but the Friends want it to stay as it is now - Rochdale Arts and Heritage Centre.

Letters about the change have arrived from disgruntled members, with some claiming they were not consulted, despite the chairman of the Friends sitting on the council committee that chose the name.

But chairman Dorothy Greaves, who sat on the committee that accepted the change, said she did all she could to object to it. She said she was now encouraging members to write to the council to express their feelings.

She said: "Members of the Friends do feel as if they are being bludgeoned into it. I ended up being a lone voice on the committee but there's nothing we can do now because it's been decided. The members are angry because they don't think 'Touchstones' means anything and doesn't tell people what's there."

She said Rochdale has an impressive collection of paintings and since the Art Gallery was an integral part of the centre it deserved recognition.

"I don't mind if just the museum is called Touchstones, but we want some recognition that the art gallery is there. We have a superb collection of art in Rochdale and I'm sure they feel as if it's being sidelined."